One Last Change ﾟ✧ ﾟ Aonung x Oc

VIII. Cutting Off

The ride back to the village was silent. Ar'ney was lost in her thoughts, trying to cope with what just happened. She felt torn between anger and understanding. They made a promise, and he just broke it. He won't come back to relive their memories anymore. He won't hold her in his heart anymore. How dare he forget her? How could he be so cruel to her? But was he really cruel, or did he just do what was best for his people?

Right. His people. They weren't hers anymore.

Involuntarily, she touched her necklace. For a moment, a familiar feeling brought her comfort, but quickly she cringed and took her hand away. She needs to get rid of this. Atsen doesn't want her to be in his future, so she won't hold him in hers. That necklace should have never been hers in the first place, he should have given it to his new mate.

The promise that came with that necklace was just that. A promise that means nothing.

When they reached the village, Ar'ney couldn't help but feel like something was off in the air. Ao'nung could sense this weird change too.
All her worries about Atsen were forgotten when she saw Neteyam running towards them.
"It's Kiri! You need to come!" He grabbed her arm and started to drag her with him. She could sense the panic in his voice, his hands trembling slightly. She didn't ask any questions, she was scared she wouldn't like the answer.

When they arrived at their hut, she saw Kiri lying on the floor, unconscious. She stopped in her tracks for a second, wanting to run away and come back when everything would be okay. She took a deep breath and kneeled next to her mother and Tuk, both were looking hopeless.
"What happened?" Ar'ney asked, panicking as she looked over her sister's body. She couldn't see any wounds, everything looked right.
"She seizured after connecting to the Scared Tree." Neteyam explained as he stood by the entrance.

Ar'ney locked eyes with Ao'nung, a silent plea in her eyes.
"I'll go get my mother." He departed, but Ar'ney had a feeling someone had already gone for her. If she wasn't here yet, that means Ronal was not in the village, or was not willing to come here yet.
Her mother grabbed her hand, making all Ar'ney attention fall on her.
"Pray with me, daughter."
Ar'ney nodded, unsure if there was anything else to do. If she was back home, she would know what to do, which herbs to give, and most importantly, Mo'at would be there. But now? Now, she was useless. She could only pray.

They prayed for hours, until the sun came back into the sky. Kiri was still unconscious, and the whole family was getting more and more worried. Jake had already called for scientists back from the forest, but it was still another few hours before they would arrive, and Ronal was still nowhere to be found. Ar'ney had a feeling she didn't prioritize their family, everything was more important than a demon.

She walked out of the hut, just far away to be alone, close enough to come back quickly if needed. She sat down on the edge, dipping her feet in the water. With a heavy sigh, she took off her necklace and watched it carefully. Emotions started to build up, and she had to fight the urge to throw the necklace into the ocean.

She felt a cold hand on her arm, and she already knew who it was.
"Are you okay?" Ao'nung asked as he sat down next to her.
"As well as one can be after..." She raised her eyes to meet his. "Where is your mother?"
Ao'nung averted his gaze. Was he... ashamed?
"She said she'll come to her as soon as possible."
Ar'ney gave him a wry smile and nodded. She was trying her best not to show how annoyed she was.
"Of course."
She looked down at her necklace again. What an awful day.

She heard a well known sound a few hours later. A ship is coming. She quickly ran towards her family, wanting to be there to greet them.
Norman and Max exited the ship and quickly went to work, only allowing themselves a quick greeting. They were checking everything they could, trying to find anything abnormal, but to no avail.